Shaping Champions

As a professional rugby player for 16 years, Jordan Crane was a formidable opponent for anyone that faced him on a pitch, consistently ranking as one of the most frequent carriers of the ball in English club rugby. He’s a 4 time premiership winner, a two time Heineken cup runner up and former England international. Jordan was a key member of one of the most successful rugby union teams in history, spending 10 years at Leicester Tigers winning back to back premiership titles and finishing Heineken Cup runners up twice.  In this episode we discuss exactly what it takes to cultivate a champion mindset, develop unwavering belief in what you do, what sets apart the good from the elite, and Jordan’s approach to coaching junior & senior players. 

Chevy Green is director of programmes at ACE, a charity launched by Surrey County Cricket Club in January 2020 in response to the decline of black British professional cricket players by 75%, and less than 1% of the recreational game. The ACE Programme is designed to engage young people of African and Caribbean Heritage, identifying talent across the country whilst providing opportunities for pathways and scholarships. The charity has hubs in South London, Bristol and Birmingham with more on the way in Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds and North & East London. Chevy is an inspirational character, someone of real substance that is dedicating his life to unearthing future cricketing talent and helping young people navigate their journey through life.  In this episode we discuss self belief & mindset, a lost generation of cricketers in the Black British community, building a talent id program from the ground up, and breaking down the myriad of barriers in the world of cricket. 

Paul Metheringham is a football administrator & operations manager with over 9 years’ experience in the professional game. He’s worked at the top level of the women’s game at Liverpool FC and is currently Head of Operations at Bristol City FC. Paul is passionate about developing people and helping them to reach their full potential. This quality really shines through in all of his work. In this episode we discuss coping in high pressure situations, establishing your 'why', the academy system in football, recognising the needs of the people you work with, being a student of the game and a student of life, and always being willing to learn.

Harry Price is CEO and co-founder of UK Football Trials, the world’s largest and most successful Football Trials company with over 200,000 registered players from 150+ countries worldwide. The company run more trial events and place more players into pro and semi pro club football trials than anyone else in this field. Harry has (arguably) as much knowledge around getting scouted as any other individual in the footballing world and has created a system that has seen 400+ success stories so far, including seeing Daniel Jebbison scouted at a UK Football Trials event who went onto score on his premier league debut for Sheffield United and win the Under 20 Euro Championship with England. In this brilliant episode we discuss what it takes to make it in football, the good, bad & ugly behind the scenes in the sport, the evolution of mentality within football, and what it takes to shape the right mindset to succeed in the most competitive of arenas.

Steve Dixon is the CEO of Changes UK, a charity and leading model of recovery services renowned for its pioneering approach to recovery and its vision of enabling a future where anyone can find recovery from addiction, restore connection with their families/communities and achieve a life with dignity, hope and purpose. Steve founded the charity in 2009 whilst himself recovering from addiction, in response to the lack of support available in Birmingham for people wanting to find recovery. Changes UK grew from Steve’s passion to make a difference to people’s lives, and the organisation is now recognised as being amongst the most innovative recovery services. Its core services are increasingly supported by its social enterprises which provide valuable income, as well as training, work experience and employment for those in recovery. Steve once lived a life full of trauma, pain and poor choices but since embarking on a journey of recovery, now lives in a world filled with hope, purpose and fulfilment.  In this insightful and eye opening episode we discuss the origins of addiction, feeling ‘enough’ as a person, the often false narratives we create around our lives, and stepping into your authentic self. 

Natascia Bernardi is a Girls Academy Manager and Football Coach with vast experience in the fields of Sport, Education and working with young people. She has a Masters in Sport Science/Sport Psychology, is a UEFA C qualified coach, as well as being an experienced personal trainer and gym instructor for disabled adults and young people. Natascia has been on a fascinating journey within her academic and professional life, emigrating to Sweden to study before finally landing on UK shores to pursue her ultimate dream. This conversation illustrates her passion for developing young people in the sporting context, her fearlessness at imposing herself in a male dominated realm, and her refreshing outlook on life in general.  

  Tom Bates is a Performance Psychologist, Coach and Consultant. Tom has held positions at prestigious and renowned football clubs including AFC Bournemouth, Birmingham City FC, West Bromwich Albion FC, Brentford FC and more recently with Aston Villa FC as Global Head of Performance Psychology and Culture. Tom has also worked as an independent consultant in other professional sports working with GB Basketball, Swimming, Boxing, Rugby Union, Golf and Fencing.  He also played a pivotal role in helping Sheffield Wednesday FC to achieve league promotion to the English Championship against all odds following a 4-0 defeat in their first leg playoff semi-final. In this fascinating episode we discuss the psychological principles that underpin performance at the elite level, developing character in children, discovering and following your passion & curiosity, and being part of THAT miracle game in the playoffs 

Marcus Willis is a British professional tennis player who is currently ranked 191 in the world for men's doubles (at time of publishing).  With a badboy persona as a junior and following several alleged disciplinary issues, Marcus lost his way and struggled to fulfil his potential. However he recaptured his passion for the sport and in 2016 he embarked on (arguably) the most remarkable run in Wimbledon history. His story illustrates the power of self belief and just how self destructive even the most talented sports people can be.  In this episode we discuss his turbulent journey as a junior player, losing & regaining his love for the sport, and THAT match against one of the greatest players of all time. 

Matt Windle is a boxer and poet. He is current light-flyweight commonwealth champion and former Birmingham poet laureate.  In this episode we discuss Matt's journey in boxing, his unrelenting dedication to self improvement, and his work with young people. 

Abby Carrington is Head of Player Care at Swansea City Football Club and a PhD student at Sheffield Hallam University. In this episode Abby explores the importance of Player Care and the role it has to play in the modern game. She shares with Jimmy & Mach her experiences of working in a predominantly male dominated working environment, and how the sport is beginning to embrace change.